A 12 day programme including a 4 day solo fast in nature, this pan-cultural rite of passage ceremony has supported men become and remain generative for millennia.

Gathering on land first inhabited by the Picts 5000 years ago, near ancient middens, a short distance from Macbeth’s castle and the battle ground of Culloden, amidst abbeys and neolithic stone circles, we will already be walking on the mythical grounds that have shaped the soul of Britain and thus its legacies.

A 12 day programme including a 4 day solo fast in nature, this pan-cultural rite of passage ceremony has supported men become and remain generative for millennia.

Gathering on land first inhabited by the Picts 5000 years ago, near ancient middens, a short distance from Macbeth’s castle and the battle ground of Culloden, amidst abbeys and neolithic stone circles, we will already be walking on the mythical grounds that have shaped the soul of Britain and thus its legacies.

This invitation is extended to all men of the Findhorn Community aged 18 and over, to gather in facilitated space to initiate and engage in honest dialogue in light of recent events.

In the UK 13 men commit suicide every day. 2 women do the same. There are many reasons for this, contemporary culture and its limited notions of masculinity being a key aspect. Isolation, lack of emotional presence, mistrust, shame…all affect men.

This invitation is extended to all men of the Findhorn Community aged 18 and over, to gather in facilitated space to initiate and engage in honest dialogue in light of recent events.

In the UK 13 men commit suicide every day. 2 women do the same. There are many reasons for this, contemporary culture and its limited notions of masculinity being a key aspect. Isolation, lack of emotional presence, mistrust, shame…all affect men.

This invitation is extended to all men of the Findhorn Community aged 18 and over, to gather in facilitated space to initiate and engage in honest dialogue in light of recent events.

In the UK 13 men commit suicide every day. 2 women do the same. There are many reasons for this, contemporary culture and its limited notions of masculinity being a key aspect. Isolation, lack of emotional presence, mistrust, shame…all affect men.

The structure of our time together will be rooted in Joseph Campbell's rendering of the 'Hero & Heroines Journey'; the archetypal journey toward healing and wholeness. Inside of this mythological framework we will apply the principles and practices of Generative Coaching to each individual's personal inquiry.

This invitation is extended to all men of the Findhorn Community aged 18 and over, to gather in facilitated space to initiate and engage in honest dialogue in light of recent events.

In the UK 13 men commit suicide every day. 2 women do the same. There are many reasons for this, contemporary culture and its limited notions of masculinity being a key aspect. Isolation, lack of emotional presence, mistrust, shame…all affect men.

IA 12 day programme including a 4 day solo fast in nature, this pan-cultural rite of passage ceremony has supported men become and remain generative for millennia.

Gathering on land first inhabited by the Picts 5000 years ago, near ancient middens, a short distance from Macbeth’s castle and the battle ground of Culloden, amidst abbeys and neolithic stone circles, we will already be walking on the mythical grounds that have shaped the soul of Britain and thus its legacies.

This invitation is extended to all men of the Findhorn Community aged 18 and over, to gather in facilitated space to initiate and engage in honest dialogue in light of recent events.

In the UK 13 men commit suicide every day. 2 women do the same. There are many reasons for this, contemporary culture and its limited notions of masculinity being a key aspect. Isolation, lack of emotional presence, mistrust, shame…all affect men.

Invoking the wisdom of our ancestors in ways that would be recognisable to indigenous peoples the world over, elegantly blended with contemporary understandings of depth-psychology, we shall gather for 5 days to share stories, spend time on the land and learn more of what it means for us to be fully human at this time.

I will be presenting Dr Robert Moore's brilliant and prescient map and explaining, in plain English, accompanied with humour, poetry and some fire, how the King / Warrior / Magician and Lover archetypes and their subordinates are at play in the world today and, how these energies directly affect our everyday lives for better and worse.

The phrase Rites of Passage evokes something powerful in the human heart. It stirs an ancient longing and transports us back to a vague imaginal space where we lived more simply; closer to the earth and each other in every way – a time where we knew ourselves more completely and where our deepest sense of interdependence moved through us like the air that becomes our breath.

Come and nourish the seeds of potential buried in your deep imagination.

Participants are invited to bring their issues and intentions to this event. The structure of the day will be rooted in Joseph Campbell's rendering of the 'Hero & Heroines Journey' and draw upon the principles and practices of Generative Coaching and each individual's personal inquiry.

Working as a collective and also in groups of three, everyone will get to be coached and will coach. In addition to this, there will be several 1:1 sessions in the middle of the circle with me. These will be decided on the day.

The main focus of our learnings will be:

Embodiment - How to safely and skilfully harness somatic wisdom and resonance.

Positive Sponsorship - As a path to possibility.

Mirroring - As a gateway to deep relationship.

Utilisation - How the problem contains the perfect solution and so much more...

Generative Trance - Exploring extra-ordinary states of awareness.

Part master class, part workshop, this day-long event is suitable for those who have worked with me previously either on retreat, in a training or 1:1. It will also be a good introduction to Generative Approaches to healing and growth to those seeking to compliment their existing practices with a deeper understanding of how to safely and respectfully approach the deep imagination contained within the body.

The costs for the day is £75.00

'Paul creates a safe space with love and integrity. If you are prepared to dig deep then work with this man. You'll come away with jewels. Louise - Councillor and Shamanic Practitioner.

The Jungian Analyst, James Hollis tells us repeatedly that unless we have a sense of personal authority, we can not lead our own lives. Until we accept responsibility for our journey we will not be free to pursue it to the fullest.

Grounded in your own personal enquiry, this event will support you in clarifying your core values (held in the body) and help you recognise and attune to the embodied wisdom you already possess.

Through simple elegant processes, engaging peer conversation, time on the land and the unfolding of your own generative imagination, you are invited to reclaim you personal sovereignty, and in doing so bring more of your precious inner life into the outer world with faith in your ability.

Just 16 places are available, the cost is inclusive of all meals and accommodation.

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Here is an overview of what you can expect from this retreat, concluding with my intentions for what you will leave with.

Thursday - Arrivals, introductions and openings and supper.

Friday - Introduction to generative approaches to working with the mind / body / soul and the deep imagination. Using simple ritual, movement, gentle trance states, deep listening and speaking from the heart, we shall spend the day exploring our own ways of creating embodied and generative states of awareness.

Working in dyads and triads with group discussions and personal time to reflect and connect, we shall use this day to explore and clarify our resonant intentions to be caried into Saturdays Medicine Walk.

Saturday - In the morning we shall gather in Council. Using the wisdom gleaned on the previous days we will prepare to go out on the land for a solo medicine walk. A medicine walk is an intentional wonder that charges and invokes the deep imagination and the symbolic realm inherent in nature to enter a mutually beneficial conversation. From this conversation new meanings and deeper understandings arise. Later in the day we shall gather in council once again, share our stories and mirror them back to each other.

Sunday - We shall explore self generated ritual / soul practices that support us in continuing to grow through our new found skills and awareness and out into our every day lives. We will close in blessing circle and brief council before returning to our personal hero and heroine's journeys.

My desire is that through the course of the weekend you develop a strong relationship with your Inner King and Queen energies / archetypes, and that through the processes outlined above you come to trust them in all of their beautiful imperfectiions and stupendous gifts.

When you leave on Sunday I trust you will know and sense much more of what it means to speak fully from your authentic Sovereign Self, which I believe resides in the region of the heart.

You will certainly know in what direction you are headed, what challlenges you can expect to present, and most importantly how you can access resourceful states that allow you to move in the direction you intended, guided from the inside out.

Expect a warm welcome, amazing home grown food, quiet open space and a chance to reflect on the deeper elements of your unique and personal journey into life.

This retreat is suitable for anyone committed to their personal growth and development.

The cost of the retreat, inclusive of meals and accommodation is:

• £295.00 if paid by 31st August.

• £330.00 if paid by 30th September.

• £365.00 if paid by 29th October.

* there are three camping spots available at a £50.00 reduction.

** Refunds - Refunds will be available until the 30th September less a 30% administration fee.

For further information please visit my new and evolving web site:www.pauljhowell.com and email me at pauljhowell@gmail.com to register and ask any questions.

2014 Awakening Kings with a majestic Dartmoor backdrop a few minutes walk from the retreat venue.

If anyone is interested in knowing a bit more about the structure and flow of the ATIQK here is a brief outline. As with all depth work, we track the stages of the Hero / Heroine's journey: leaving the mundane world behind, we travel into the sacred and then return to live our new awareness and knowings in the everyday world.

- Friday: We will spend most of the day learning about and practising generative approaches to self development. During this time we will be learning how to open a resonant connection to the body and mind, how to open into relationship and return to our centres. We will be working with each other to define and refine our intention for working with the King and Queen Archetypes whilst placing them in the context of the Warrior / Amazon, Magician / Medial and Lover archetypes.

- Friday evening: We start to explore the deeper territories of these core archetypes and the part they play in our lives and set our intentions for Saturday's medicine walk.

- Saturday: Medicine walk and Council. Invoking the wisdom of the land we will venture out at sunrise for approximately 6 hours solo time. You are invited to enter the symbolic realm of nature and soul whilst carrying your intentions, questions and longings. In the afternoon and evening, we will share our experiences and the treasures we found in council; the ancient practice of listening to and bearing witness with each other.

- Sunday: A day of reflections, integrations and celebrations in preparation for the departure and return.

NB - I will be shaping the retreat to the needs of those who attend and as such some of the elements may flex as appropriate.

For further information please visit my new and evolving web site: www.pauljhowell.com and email me at pauljhowell@gmail.com to register and ask any questions.

Applying the principles and practices of embodiment – through demonstrations, movement and dyad / triad exercises we shall explore ways to open a conversation directly with the creative unconscious realm of the body and the unique essence of the 'Deep Wise Self' that resides within each of us.

Drawing on principles and practices of Buddhism, Aikido, conscious movement and depth psychology Generative Coaching is a subtle yet potent way of entering a poetic conversation with our selves and the larger identities we are inevitably called to inhabit in the ever changing world. .

Once a balanced relationship is flowing between the Intellect / Rider and the Body / Horse, we are able to harness our 'Generative Self' and blend our intuitive / instinctual somatic intelligence with our rational mind's understanding of how best to move forward in any given moment and can chose new ways of being in the world.

I’m repeatedly humbled and inspired by the raw force of nature’s beauty and the potency and passions of the human imagination.

I am instinctually drawn to the dynamic and often confounding meeting places of the mind, body and soul. I am further drawn to where these personal streams of knowing meet the greater rivers of our primary relationships; to loved ones and work, and the physical and cultural environments that make up the oceans of our mutual lives.

I blend generative coaching and embodied trance work, Neuro Linguistic Programming and depth psychology with a deep respect for the natural world and the soul’s call to wholeness.

This evening will be particularly of interest to coaches, therapists and those in the helping professions as well as couples and anyone looking for a few simple, powerful tools and perspectives to support authentic growth from the inside out.

Places Limited.

A weekend for mothers and fathers, teachers and all carers of adolescent children who would like to gain a deeper understanding of the forces at play upon and within the children they know.

This experiential weekend will provide a safe space in which to explore the challenges of adolescence from a personal perspective. There will be plenty of time to ask questions, learn and practice powerful skills within an empathetic frame-work of positive sponsorship - the intention being that you can build closer relationships with the children in your community and better support one of life's most demanding transitions.

This time in any ones life is truly an ordeal in the mythological sense and one which is almost completely ignored in contemporary western culture. This time in a young persons life is also profoundly rich with latent potential and possibility for the life ahead - a life that grows immeasurably when it is witnessed and blessed by adults and peers groups alike.

Sunday will be dedicated to creating an honouring ritual for any teenagers you wish to invite along with the intention of having them also explore their own intentions and relationship to responsibility in the coming academic year.

Further details will be announced shortly - places will be limited to 20.

There are many gateways to grief; the name we give to the overwhelming and traumatic dissolution of our identity, a profound experience of losing something so precious and central to our lives we don't know how we will continue to live without it.

We rightly fear we may not recover from these losses. And yet if we are able to meet these inevitable losses fully, they can become a reminder of our own vulnerability and eventually the preciousness of life itself.

FridayEvening - Will provide the opportunity to gather informally. This is a time and place to ask questions ahead of Saturday and Sunday. We shall also use Friday evening to consider any specific needs and wants of the people gathered. This will help shape the intentions for Saturday's and Sunday's rituals and ceremony's.

You are invited to attend Friday evening to share food, ask questions and feel into how you may wish to participate on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday - We will gather in the morning. Paul Howell will open a Grief Council and guide personal journeys of enquiry, including time on the land. We shall consider the radical invitation Grief extends toward growth, healing and transformation, both personally and collectively.

Attending on Saturday morning will be taken as a commitment to remain until Sunday.

Sunday - As we are each called in our own ways, we move into creating the sweat lodge ceremony. Carolyn Hartness will lead this ceremony assisted by two others. Carolyn comes from a very strong lineage of ritual elders and has been holding ceremony for several decades. We will spend the full day together holding this sacred healing space. In the evening, everyone is invited to share food in celebration.

NB - This is not a workshop. It is a powerful grief tending ceremony. People will be asked to contribute to the event as they feel called. This will be discussed on Friday evening and more information will be sent to those who enquire by email (see contact page).

The space will be created and held by those named here, however the nature of the event will require full participation from all attending. Places are limited and filling.

Please email / FB message me ffi.

GRIEF.

There are three primary gateways to grief; all equally capable of bringing us to our knees and equally charged with transformational power.

- the grief we experience when we lose something precious: a partner, child, lover, our health, our work, our lives and anything or anyone that serves as a keystone of our core identity as we know it in the present moment.

- the grief of realising that we will not achieve / have / experience what we dreamed of...our fantasies are illuminated and in rushes the loss of a cherished future. We will not become the person we hoped to become, nor live the life our imagination promised.

- the grief we experience when we look back across our lives and see the lack we've been carrying all along; how we've placed distorting armour around an ancient wound and how our attempts to compensate for that which we 'should' have had but did not receive: the love of a parent, the longed for sibling, the education, stable secure home...have led us from our true destiny.

And so we are called to undergo the experience of surrendering our delusions and accepting our fate as mere humans and perhaps in doing so are returned to our true essential nature.

When we surrender into this fierce embrace in the presence of a compassionate witness we find ourselves anew...fully present to the profound beauty of our lives in new and unexpected ways.